Description
A show-stopping festive dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make. Tangy cranberry sauce, creamy cheese ribbons, crunchy pecans, and buttery cake come together in beautiful chaos. Perfect for holiday gatherings when you want something impressive without the fuss.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 box yellow cake mix (about 15.25 oz)
- 1 can whole cranberry sauce (14 oz)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan thoroughly.
- Spread cranberry sauce evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Drop spoonfuls randomly over the cranberry sauce—don’t spread it.
- Scatter chopped pecans over everything.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter over the assembled layers, covering as much surface as possible.
- Drizzle melted butter evenly over the top.
- Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Cool in pan at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 340mg
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg